Vision is not a product of rationality, logic or common sense. It arises from a place within us that is deeper than the intellect. The Hebrew prophet Isaiah wrote: ‘Without vision the people perish’. A life without vision is a terrible thing that reduces us to a robot-like existence. More profound than logic, is poetry. Much of the world’s great scriptural writing is in the form of poetry, because the direct insights of sages are not the product of purely mental, rational processes. Their intuitions are neither rational nor irrational, but rather non-rational; they are axiomatic rather than deductive or inductive. The insights of sages become the subject matter of theologians, logicians and empiricists. For every one page uttered by a Krishna, Buddha or Christ, there are a hundred thousand pages of commentary by scholars and philosophers. Yet, with the passage of time, most of these scholarly works are lost, while the few words spoken by these great beings are carefully preserved and treasured by humanity.
Most of us will not attain the status of a sage, but each one of us has access to vision. When the mind is quiet and we are close to our true selves, vision arises from within, providing a fundamental direction for our life. No one can fully explain why he is naturally inclined toward art or medicine or teaching as a vocation, he simply knows that this is what he should be doing. It is a feeling or an impulse that will recur again and again until it is listened to and followed. Vision is natural; it is the absence of vision that is an abnormal condition. Those who have been subjected to too much stress and suffer too much anxiety may find it difficult to access the vision within, which is deeply buried under a cover of fear and pain. However, if anyone undertakes to heal himself through the breath, meditation and yoga, he will begin to feel or hear those deeper impulses, which will give him his direction in life.
Our projects should be rooted in vision, otherwise they will not be properly ‘grounded’ and there will not be a sufficiently clear, strong intention to carry them through. A project is unique not due to its contents, but rather because it is an expression of the personal vision of its author. If two people have embraced the same project, for example marrying each other, that project must rest comfortably within the unique, personal vision of each of them. Their vision may not be identical, but there must be a sufficient alignment for them to collaborate effectively. Permeating every project is a unifying purpose, which can be stated in words and agreed upon by all those choosing to invest themselves in it. A project without a clearly stated purpose is like a ship at sea without a specific destination. How can the crew of a sailing ship function as a team if there is no agreed upon port to arrive at? A purpose is both a direction to follow and a destination to arrive at. Whenever the purpose of any project – whether of a nation, a corporation, a couple or an individual – is lost, forgotten, or no longer relevant, that project is on its way to a breakdown and ultimate dissolution. One of the main functions of leadership in any project is to keep the purpose clear, relevant and constantly before the eyes of all participants. If this is missing, the project will start to lose energy and entropy will set in.
Along the line of direction established by a clear purpose, goals must be set and accomplished. Goals represent interim points of progress toward the final objective. Goals break a project down into manageable segments and allow the project to move forward coherently. Without a well thought through line of progression, serious imbalances can occur which will threaten the project. With business start-ups, for example, a common reason for
failure is miscalculating cash flow needs and lacking an effective strategy for dealing with short-falls when they arise. The project may be brilliant in the long term, but if the bills cannot be paid in the short term, the dream will
self-destruct. Goals allow our attention and our actions to stay focussed, and with the attainment of each successive objective, fresh energy is infused into the project. Setting and accomplishing goals, and then taking a moment to celebrate the result when attained, is a powerful motivator. Also essential, is to acknowledge those within the group who achieved the objective. If someone commits to and produces a result on behalf of the whole project, they should be recognised. If their accomplishment is taking for granted, they will feel devalued and unappreciated. Results acknowledged motivate further action, whereas results ignored produce resentment and resignation. Many people have no idea how to define a goal. Proper articulation of an objective is fundamental to achieving it. Goals must be concrete, measurable and time-specific.
One way to determine if we have set a true goal is to ask the question, ‘How will I know if I have achieved it?’ A goal is not a feeling, a psychological state, a negative or a generality. For example, ‘I want the team to be happy and aligned’ or ‘I want a successful board meeting’ or ‘I don’t want to run out of money’ are not goals. How could we objectively determine if we had accomplished any one of these so-called objectives? What does ‘happy and aligned’ look like? What would be the criteria for determining if the board meeting was ‘successful’? How would we measure the result identified as ‘not running out of money?’ In our Leadership course, when we ask participants to write a personal objective they intend to attain as a result of their participation in the program, usually what they put down is too undefined to be a goal. It is no wonder that most people do not achieve their objectives: they seldom set them up in a way that they could be accomplished. Furthermore, putting a date on a goal is essential to attaining it. Without a deadline for accomplishment there will not be the necessary creative tension for action. Without a time-line, actions will be performed on the basis of convenience, circumstances and psychological states. With such a weak foundation for action, things will defi nitely slide toward an endless horizon of incompleteness. Committing to a deadline energises our projects and gives action priority over our moods and circumstances. If we base the success of our projects on convenience and ‘feeling good’, failure is guaranteed and we may as well not bother even getting out of bed.
In any project, it is useful to identify a list of intentions we want to see realised. The difference between a goal and an intention is one of definite commitment. A goal is a measurable objective that we commit to without reservation; it is something that is essential to the overall success of the project. Intentions, on the other hand, are results that will ‘fill out’ or enrich our project, but are not critical to its success. The value of writing down intentions is that in the very act of identifying and affirming them we make a ‘conscious’ space for their manifestation. If an opportunity to realise one of these intentions arises, we will take hold of it rather than unconsciously allow it to slip away. In addition, by stating, ‘I intend such and such to occur’; we create a friendly and receptive environment in which it can manifest. Upon the successful completion of a project, it is a great pleasure to review the list of intentions we originally identified and discover just how many of them have materialised through no apparent effort of own. Intentions realised are like gifts bestowed upon us from a benign universe in reward for our determination and focus in accomplishing our goals and mission.
Both goals and intentions arise from a supreme, universal Intent, which inheres in the Absolute. Just as prana (vital force) is a manifestation of the Absolute’s shakti (Power), so does Intent – the governing principle of Creation – arise from that same Potency. Shakti is the limitless, unmanifest Power of the Absolute which manifests as prana and Intent. Ultimately, prana is directed through Intent. Similarly, our personal actions, though fueled by energy (prana), are directed by our intent which, in turn, is ultimately governed by Intent. Illusions produced by ignorance of the nature of things and delusions arising from ignorance of our own true nature give rise to objectives and means that are a distorted reflection of Intent, leading to actions that are considered wrong or unethical. As we purify ourselves through practises such as transformational breath and meditation, our ends and means increasingly align with Intent, resulting in actions that are both powerful and life supporting. For the self-realised person who no longer experiences himself as separate from the Absolute, there is no difference between intent and Intent. This is why sages and spiritual masters are universally revered as expressions of the Divine Will.
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